Date of Birth: August 25, 1920
Date of Death: April 9, 2017
Edward Gerlinsky of Melville, Sask., beloved husband of the late Alice (nee St. Amand), passed away at St. Peter’s Hospital on Sunday, April 9, 2017. He was 96 years of age.
Ed was born Edward Valentine Gerlinsky in Cavell, Sask. on Aug. 25, 1920. Ed’s mother passed away just prior to his 12th birthday. The eldest of six children, Ed soon had to leave school to help his dad raise the family and run the farm.
He loved to read and was intelligent, largely self-educated and became a knowledgeable investor. He served in the Royal Canadian Army from March 1942 to April 1946 where he took up boxing and tried learning to play the saxophone. After the war he travelled through Saskatchewan, demonstrating search lights for the Victory Loan Tour and then became an auctioneer in 1947.
An army chum, Alphonse St. Amand, introduced Ed to his sister, Alice, during the war, and nine years later they were married on Oct. 26, 1953 in Zenon Park, Sask. The couple moved to the farm east of Melville in 1959 where they raised four children. Later he took and taught the Christopher Leadership Course and his love of learning kept him continually reading and taking courses in a variety of fields.
Ed was a fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus. After retiring from farming and moving into Melville, Ed kept busy as a school bus driver for nine years, jail guard at the RCMP detachment, worked with Townsend Funeral Home and at J.F. Men’s Wear.
Ed enjoyed reading, learning, gardening, travelling, rock collecting and spending time with children and grandchildren. Ed always enjoyed, and was grateful, for surprise visits from old friends and a couple of special nephews.
Predeceased by his father, Valentine; and mother, Cecelia; wife, Alice; sons, Brennan and Glenn; brothers, Anthony and Arnold.
Ed leaves many memories to be cherished by his daughter, Claudette Schulte and her sons, Christopher and Evan (fiancée Kat) of Vancouver area, Bernadette (Greg) Yelland and their daughters, Tannara, Megan (her son Daemien) and Anja of Lloydminster; daughter-in-law, Anita Gerlinsky and her children, Kelsey and Morgan of Edmonton;, and daughter-in-law, Jennifer Halsey of Thompson; brothers, John (Madeline) Gerlinsky of Saskatoon and Alfred Gerlinsky of Edmonton; and his sister, Clara Friestadt of Humboldt; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Prayer services were held on Monday, April 17, 2017 at 7 p.m. from the Chapel of Bailey’s Funeral Home in Melville with Lottie Wihak and Dave Hudy as the presiders.
The funeral mass was celebrated on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 11 a.m. from St. Henry’s Roman Catholic Church in Melville with Rev. Father Albert Schmitz as the celebrant.
Arrangements were by Bailey’s Funeral Home, Melville.
